


Here For You

by GH_123



Series: Prompt Requests [1]
Category: Hollyoaks
Genre: F/M, M/M, Other, Prompt Fill, Tumblr Prompt, prompt request
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-23
Updated: 2019-03-23
Packaged: 2019-11-28 15:21:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18210071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GH_123/pseuds/GH_123
Summary: This is a prompt taken from the tumblr account jarryprompts. It is the prompt:Lily discovers that she’s pregnant with Romeos baby. She tells Romeo and he goes to talk things through with James.This is the first thing I’ve ever posted. Sorry it’s so long, I have probably rambled on! Hope you all enjoy it.





	Here For You

**Author's Note:**

> This is a prompt taken from the tumblr account jarryprompts. It is the prompt: 
> 
>  
> 
> _Lily discovers that she’s pregnant with Romeos baby. She tells Romeo and he goes to talk things through with James._
> 
>  
> 
> This is the first thing I’ve ever posted. Sorry it’s so long, I have probably rambled on! Hope you all enjoy it.

Romeo’s mind was well and truly racing, he still, even after allowing a few hours to pass, couldn’t get his head around what he had just been told. She was pregnant, he had seen the results with his own eyes. The pregnancy tests lying out on her bed, displaying the word ‘pregnant’ on every single one of them as clear as day. 

They had always been careful, really careful. He knew better than most what it was like to bring a child into the world when you weren’t ready and didn’t have the amenities to give that child the best life possible. He knew because he had been that child. He had always sworn to himself that he would never let himself get into that position and yet here he was. 

He hadn’t reacted in the best way possible, he hadn’t said anything that he regretted or behaved completely inappropriately, but as Lily sat there and sobbed, he couldn’t comfort her, he couldn’t bring himself to wrap his arms around her and tell her that everything would be okay, because he simply didn’t know whether it would be. 

They both felt incredibly scared and stupid for allowing it to happen for not realising and acting upon it sooner. Romeo didn’t know about Lily but he knew that he was nowhere near ready to be a father, he was seventeen, what could he give a baby? He had always seen himself as mature and wise beyond his years but this, this was something else entirely, something that he didn’t possess the maturity to deal with. 

He walked through the village, his hands stuffed into his pockets as he kept his head down. He didn’t want anyone to see him, he didn’t want to bump into anyone and have a mindless conversation because if he did he was sure that he was just going to blurt everything out and he wasn’t sure he was ready yet to deal with all the emotions that that would bring. Every so often he would take a glance up to make sure that he wasn’t about to walk straight into anyone or anything, the cold, icy wind that blew stung at his eyes, making the tears that he was trying his hardest to hold back all the more apparent. 

He slowly climbed up the stone steps to the front door he now called home. A mere few months ago he remembered standing in this exact spot, wondering whether to knock on the door and reveal all to the man who would answer. That man being his father, James Nightingale. 

He knew that as soon as he saw James he was going to have to confess everything, he was always very good at talking about his feelings, he knew that talking really helped, he was a heart on his sleeve kind of guy, he couldn’t keep his emotions bottled up.

When Romeo pushed open the door, he was surprised to see that James was still at home. He had dashed off early when he received Lily’s text, he wasn’t expecting to see his father until tonight. He stood at the breakfast bar, all suited and booted in his usual, flawless work attire, he had a mug of coffee in one hand as he flicked frantically through some files. Romeo was pretty sure James hadn’t even noticed he was there. 

“Hi” James looked up at him with a smile. “Where did you get to? I didn’t even realise you were gone, I thought you were still sleeping” he laughed lightly as he quickly downed the dregs of his coffee and placed the cup in the dishwasher. He was in a rush Romeo could see that, he was quite honestly racing around the kitchen.

“Oh I just had to go somewhere” Romeo shrugged, he was sure that if James was actually listening he would have questioned this further, but Romeo’s reply seemed to go over his head. “Look, I really need to talk to you” even Romeo could hear the sense of desperation and urgency in his tone, surely James could pick up on that. James took hold of the file he was reading and snapped it shut, he quickly threw it in his briefcase before pulling on his coat in one swift movement. 

“I’m really sorry, can it wait. I’m so late for this appointment, I’ll only be a few hours, we’ll talk later, yeah. Harry is still in bed, talk to him if you want” James was pretty much out of the door before the conversation had ended, he hadn’t waited to hear Romeo’s response or even get an understanding about what exactly it was that Romeo needed to talk to him about.

Romeo didn’t want to talk to Harry, for the first time since they had met he actually really needed his dad. He was quite the free agent, not one to admit that he needed someone, much like his father in some respects, but he really did need some fatherly advice. 

He threw his body down onto the sofa, feeling the plush, expensive fabric cushion his fall as he allowed himself to sink in deeper, it felt as if he was getting a huge cuddle from the sofa. It was the first time since being told that he finally felt alone, at The Hutchinson’s he was with Lily and waking home he was surrounded by passers by, right now it felt like he could finally get his head around the idea or at least begin to understand what he was going to do. He let a loud, long sigh and before he knew what he was doing, he found himself crying. 

Heavy sobs wracked his body as he tried his best to stop them. He didn’t want to alert Harry, he was sure he was still fast asleep but even so, he didn’t want to give away that there was something wrong. He turned the tv on to provided a little bit of background noise, some home improvements show idly played on, a young family looking for their dream home. It was like he couldn’t escape it. He pushed his palms into his eyes in a bid to stop the tears, it didn’t seem to work, it just made the tears pour out of his eyes quicker. 

***

Romeo must have been lying on the sofa, staring up at the ceiling for a good hour before Harry made an appearance. He had just got out of the shower, towel wrapped around his lower half as his bare, toned torso was left exposed. The boy never seemed to wear any clothes. Romeo sat up quickly when he heard him enter and wiped harshly at his cheeks, he hadn’t cried for a while but he still wanted to remove any trace that could still be there.

“Do you want a drink?” Harry asked as he placed a mug under the coffee machine and hit a few buttons. The gentle hum of the machine filled the kitchen. 

“Nah, I’m okay” 

“Is James at work?” Harry asked, he knew that today was supposed to be James’ day off, but the lack of suit hanging up on the wardrobe and the empty spot by the door where his briefcase normally lay told Harry a different story. 

“Yeah. He looked like he was in a rush when I got back this morning. I only saw him for about five minutes, not even that” Romeo explained. “He said he’d only be a few hours” he added as an after thought. 

“When you got back? Where had you been?” Harry questioned, at least someone seemed to care about his whereabouts during the time when he would still normally be curled up in bed.

“Couldn’t sleep. I went for a run” Romeo explained having to quickly think on his feet, his answer seemed to surpress Harry’s questioning. Harry poured his coffee and made his way over to the sofa, sitting himself down next to Romeo.

“Never knew you were an interior design kind of guy” Harry smiled playfully, gesturing towards the tv. 

“Oh, I’m not” Romeo laughed shaking his head. “I’ve just been a little bit preoccupied” he wasn't exactly going to say, I put on the tv so you couldn’t hear me crying, but it wasn’t a complete lie. He was pretty preoccupied. 

“You alright?” Harry asked, Romeo could almost feel Harry, who really wasn’t that much older than him, peering round, examining his face for any trace of emotion. Harry and Romeo actually got a long quite well, James was slightly worried that the closeness in age could result in them clashing, as if brothers, but they got on just as friends. Romeo definitely didn’t see Harry as his step dad, he doubted he ever would.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m fine” Romeo nodded. 

The pair sat there for a while longer, Harry drinking his coffee as Romeo allowed his mind to wander to his potential future. What would happen if they had the baby, decided to keep it. There’s no way Romeo would be welcome at The Hutchinson’s, would Lily move in here? Would James even want Romeo and his offspring? Would they have to find a place of their own and skimp and save just to get by from day to day. 

“Right, I need to go and get ready” Harry finally exclaimed placing his mug down on the coffee table, the ceramic of the mug and glass of the table clattering, making Romeo jump. He thought he heard Harry mention something about a meeting he was having about going to work for a business company but it was just white noise. 

At least he could be sure that when James returned home, they’d hopefully be alone. 

***

“Please tell me you haven’t been sat there all day” James asked as he returned home, to his word a few hours after his conversation with Romeo this morning. Romeo, still sitting on the sofa, stood up to greet him. “Want a drink?” James asked. It seemed all people ever did in this house was make bloody cups of tea and coffee.

“Nah, I’m okay” he shook his head. “James I need to talk to you” Romeo could hear the nerves as he spoke, James looked him up and down a little questioningly. He now remembered that Romeo had insisted he needed to talk to him when he returned this morning. Where had he been? He just assumed it was something completely unimportant but the fact Romeo had remembered such information told him that it could actually be the complete opposite. 

“Yeah, sorry. I remember you saying. Go for it” James urged him to speak as he pottered around the kitchen making his coffee.

“It’s really important. I think you should come and sit down” Romeo gestured to the chair that was just to the right of him.

“Okay” James said slowly, as he picked up his mug. “You’re scaring me now. What’s wrong?” he asked as he made his way over to the chair. Romeo was now sitting on the sofa, leaning forward, his elbows resting on his knees. James sat down, not taking his eyes of his son who looked liked he was about to crumble before his eyes. “Whatever is, I’m sure it’s going to be okay” James felt like he needed to offer something reassuring. He felt like Romeo needed it, no matter how bad things were they could always fix it, James was willing to help and stand by his son no matter what.

“It’s Lily” he spoke so quietly he wasn’t sure James had heard. 

“Oh god, is she okay?” he was aware of her past and he knew that recently it had seemed to rear its head again. He felt so guilty that if something bad had happened, he had left him to sit there harbouring it all morning. Romeo nodded his head.

“She’s pregnant” he left the comment hanging there for a moment, allowing the words to sink in. “With my baby” he added slowly as an after thought, when he realised James may need some clarification.

He watched James slowly close his eyes and take in a deep breath, the kind parents do when they’re trying to hold it together and not flip out. He looked disappointed, he hadn’t even spoken and already Romeo felt like he had massively let him down. James leaned forward and rubbed at his face as he processed what his son had just revealed to him. 

“Jesus, Romeo. You’re 17” were the first words to leave his lips, they came out in an almost frustrated, exasperate sigh. He sighed back into his chair. “I thought you knew about being safe, I would have spoken to you about it if I’d have known” his voice was slightly raised and held that air of disappointment Romeo was dreading. James couldn’t believe this was happening, in some round about way it was simply history repeating itself. Romeo allowed him to be mad, it was completely justified, he would have found it odd if he was jumping for joy. 

“I do. We do” Romeo defended. “Lily’s on the pill, I guess it just didn’t work” Romeo could feel his voice cracking, he really didn’t want to cry, not again, not in front of James. He wanted him to think he had this under control. 

“You’re definitely sure?” James asked, his voice softening a little, he could tell his son was on the verge of breaking down, he had to be a little less firm. This was all new to him, he’d never had to be there like this for someone before, he didn’t really know how he was supposed to approach it. He really needed to be a parent now and he wasn’t quite sure what to do. Did he need to fly off the handle? Did he need to support his son. 

“Yeah” Romeo nodded swallowing back the tears. “That’s where I was this morning, she did three tests. All positive” he explained, his voice shaking. “James, I don’t know what to do” it was in that moment that Romeo lost all his resolve and composure, and James felt his heart break a little. The way Romeo looked at him before he started to cry, he looked just like a little lost boy reaching out for any trace of hope and support. In that very moment James realised that he couldn’t be angry, he just had to be there for him in whatever way he could. 

“Hey, come here. Come here” James had moved over to the sofa, sitting himself down next to Romeo. He wrapped his arms around him and just let him cry, it was easy to forget that he was this 17 year old boy, well man, he was almost as tall as James and had muscles that would rival Harry. In James arms, right now he was just a little boy. “It’s going to be alright, okay, everything will be okay” James assured him gently, any trace of disappointment and anger gone. 

***

Ten minutes had passed and Romeo found himself in the bathroom, sorting himself out, while James offered to make the two of them some more coffee. He had been surprised by James’ reaction, considering this was the guy that turned him away, claimed he didn’t want to have anything to do with him and didn’t know how to be a good father, he had done a pretty good job of it just then. 

Romeo washed his face and tried to remove any trace of tears and the crying that he had previously been doing. Normally, he would feel embarrassed for crying on someone the way he had just bawled on James. But he was family, his dad, it’s what they did. He left the bathroom and returned to the lounge, in perfect time to see James place two steaming hot mugs of coffee down on the coffee table.

“Better?” James asked, looking up at Romeo as he sat himself down in the chair.

“A little” Romeo nodded returning to his previous spot on the sofa. “You know, thanks for all of this, I...um...I really appreciate it” Romeo was incredibly grateful for James, they had only known each other for a few months, really James owed him nothing, but here he was being his absolute everything. 

“It’s okay” James gave him a small smile. “I’m really glad you felt like you could talk to me” the fact that Romeo had come to James, despite all the other people he knew and could turn to, really did mean the world to him. They sat in silence for a while longer, sipping their tea before James finally asked, “how is Lily?” 

“Okay, I think” Romeo shrugged. “She was pretty upset this morning, I didn’t really react in the best way” he admitted, still feeling guilty as he remembered how she sat there and sobbed, to which he did nothing. 

“That’s okay though. No one knows how they’re going to react in those situations” Romeo could tell James was speaking from experience. “Do you have any idea how far a long she is?” James asked. He was partly asking because it seemed like the right thing to do, the right thing to enquire about, but he also wanted to make sure that an option hadn’t already been decided for them, taken their choice away.

“I don’t know” he shrugged. “She mentioned something about being 10 weeks but I don’t know, she wanted to make a doctors appointment today...” Romeo trailed off, he was starting to realise that this morning he had been an utter idiot. “But I kind of freaked out and told her I wasn’t ready” he admitted. 

James offered him a sympathetic smile. 

“You do need to find out though, that is quite important” he urged him gently. “Do you think she could have gone without you?” James asked.

“I don’t know” Romeo’s voice was quiet, James seemed to have so many questions, way more than Romeo thought he would. He hadn’t considered any of them. “I should probably call her, right?” he looked up to James for some reassurance.

“I think that would be a good thing to do” 

“Tony and Diane don’t know yet, I don’t think Lily wants to tell them until we know more, they’re going to freak” he rambled, a little scared of what might happen once all was revealed to them.

“Look, call Lily, ask her to come over here. You can talk in your room” he suggested “or I can leave and give you some space. She can stay for as long as she wants until you figure things out” James explained logically. It was the first time since breaking the news to James that Romeo actually smiled, just a small smile that tugged at the corner of his lips. The man sat opposite him was the person people had warned him about, he had heard people describe him as cold, heartless, manipulative and bitter. Romeo was sure he could be all of those things but actually right now he was incredibly caring, loving and supportive, the other people didn’t know him like that. 

“Thank you” Romeo smiled. “What if...you know...we decided to...” he stumbled over his words, he couldn’t even bring himself to say it. 

“You’re my son. I’ll support you no matter what you choose to do” it was all Romeo needed to hear to get up and throw his arms around James, giving him the biggest hug he was pretty sure he’d given anyone. What James had just said meant the world to him. James embraced him tightly too, the fact that his words had provoked such a heartwarming and loving gesture from Romeo made him feel all warm inside. This is what a real family was, this is what they did, James had secretly been craving that for longer than he cared to admit.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!  
> Please let me know what you think and if you would like a prompt request filled please let me know in the comments.


End file.
